The present invention relates to a device for resiliently retaining the end portion of a decorative trim molding onto an automobile body panel and more particularly, a clip for retaining the end of a molding adjacent an automobile body panel which allows lateral movement of the molding away from the panel, and returns the molding to its original position.
In modern automobile construction, it is common practice to provide bumper arrangements, both in the front and rear of the automobile which blend into the body structure and give the appearance of a unitary structure at the points where the bumpers meet the adjacent panels of the vehicle. In order to accomplish this, automobile designers have aligned the decorative molding, which is attached to the body panels with a similar decorative molding on the bumper, thus giving the appearance of a unitary structure at the point where the bumper and the panel merge to form the body of the vehicle.
In recent years, automobile makers have turned to resiliently supporting the bumper on the vehicle in order to meet certain safety requirements and standards. In general, the bumper arrangement now provided on an automobile includes a support for the bumper which allows the bumper to move inwardly relative to the automobile body on impact. Automobile manufacturers are, therefore, forced to substitute resilient material, such as plastic, between the bumper and body panels in place of sheet metal, such that the body lines at the intersection of the bumper with the body panel still retain a pleasing appearance, yet do not buckle when the bumper is moved inwardly toward the body on impact.
However, so far as trim mold is concerned, heretofore, it has been necessary to end the trim molding at the end of the metal panels on the vehicle body and omit any trim portion overlying the plastic or resilient material which bridges the gap between the vehicle bumper, and the metal panel of the vehicle body.
It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide a device which is effective to allow the trim molding of a vehicle body to be extended to abutting relation with a similar trim molding on a vehicle bumper assembly.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel device for resiliently retaining an end portion of a molding onto an automobile body panel which allows the end portion of the molding member to be moved outwardly on bumper impact, from the body to allow the aligned molding on the bumper to move past it and which is effective to retain the molding to the aligned position on the body after a plurality of such movements.